When in Rome...

(Apologies for slacking off on this whole blogging thing since February. I honestly don't know where March went. I know it was here and I did some stuff, but man, it went by quickly!! And now April has disappeared as well. I love it, because it means I'm closer to summer and getting to see my family and friends. In the meantime, I still have a lot to do over the next 6 weeks!)    Anyway...

In February we get a week off. Being an international teacher, I took advantage of this week and went to Italy with teaching friends Danni and Mel. The majority of our time was spent in Rome, with a side trip of a couple of days down to Pompeii and Naples.

As the saying goes, "When in Rome..." and we tried to hold up to our end of the bargain by doing all things 'Roman'. Or, at least the touristy stuff. :-)  We also took in as many Italian delicacies as possible. Pastas and gelato in Rome. Fabulous pizza in Naples. And many delicious meals in between.

With that said, I'll do a 'picture post' of some of the highlights of the trip.

At the base of the 'Spanish Steps'

 Joyfully tossing my euro coins into the fountain for good luck and a promised return to Rome!

Spanned out view of Trevi Fountain. Really stunning when you take time to look at all of the details!

The Colosseum. I can't take credit for the photo though. I copied it from a friend of mine. He has a better camera. :)

 Inside the Colosseum. Looking at what would have been floor level and below.

Pretty much at 'floor' level here.

Arch of Constantine

Pasta... So, so good

Confessional in St. Peter's basilica with Mel. It was calling to me... :)

Pontifical Swiss guards at St. Pete's. Love those outfits!

Gelato from San Crispino. If you go to Rome, you have to go to this place. I believe we were there 3 (maybe 4) times.

In front of the Pantheon. It is such a gorgeous building, especially the inside!

Big, bad Mt. Vesuvius in the background. I'm standing in the middle of the old city of Pompeii.

Plaster casts of bodies from Pompeii. 

Me being...me. :)  Had to shake things up a bit with the touristy photos.

So, in Pompeii there was a brothel back in the day. And it is amazingly well-preserved. Or, at least some of the fresco-style paintings on the wall. There were all sorts of paintings of  sexual positions. We were listening to the audio guide along the way and they referred to the wall of positions as a 'menu or possible inspiration for patrons'.  HaHa. 

Some of the 'options' on the wall. 

Beds didn't seem like they would have been very comfortable, made out of concrete and all.

Da Michele pizzeria in Naples. It was the one written about in the book Eat, Pray, Love. There are pictures of Julia Roberts eating there as well from the movie.This place was packed with locals when we went there for lunch. We had to wait outside for at least a half hour. Once you are in, it's quick and easy (see the menu above). The pizza was huge, fabulous, and I ate the whole thing!! I even got to get  a pic with a couple of the pizza guys. 

 

Back in Rome for one last night.

My fabulous travel companions and friends...Danni and Mel.

 I had some excellent meals on this trip, but this one might have been the best. Some truffle mushroom pasta dish. My mouth is watering just thinking of it. 

If a trip to Rome is not on your list of places to see in your life, I think it should be. Those Romans didn't mess around. If nothing else, it's worth it just for the gelato, pasta, and pizza. :)